Stick N' Move: Adam Dare

Growing up in Brooklyn during the early 90's (Gritty Brooklyn not hipster Brooklyn) I was able to experience first hand, the evolution of Hip Hop culture. I became fascinated not only with the incredible music and style that was being cultivated but, also with Street Art or Graffiti which if you ask me, evolved right alongside hip hop music. 

Graffiti ranged from simple written words to elaborate wall paintings. Back in the day there was no Facebook or Twitter so "getting up" or tagging your name could definitely be considered an early form of branding or self promotion. Sometimes tags contained subtle even cryptic messages, and may have incorporated the artist's crew initials. But a lot of the pieces were just shit talking and "capping" which caused much "beef" between different neighborhoods and different crews around Brooklyn.

I lived in Manhattan beach across the street from (at the time) one of the larger graffiti personalities in New York; Joe WAVE.  Very so often around 2am on a school night he'd whistle his bird like call (ca -coo ca-coo) outside of my window and I'd sneak out to go "BOMBING" with him and his gnarly crew.  The dress code was specific, a black or gray hoodie (I always rocked Stussy), dark jeans, a backpack (Jansport) and whatever boots or kicks that were comfortable enough to jump down 2+ stories or to simply "JET" from FIVE-O just in case they'd roll up, because more times then not, they'd roll up. I  can even remember the smell of those 360 krylon  cannons and the rush that I'd get  from watching my friends slam their pieces on freshly painted buildings Oh ah.... take the entire side of the 61st prescient for example. 


We would drive around looking for "Heaven Spots" in Wave's supped up Honda, with a sound system probably worth more then the car itself, pumping Tribe Called Quest's low end theory or Wu Tang's 36 Chambers (on cassette cause that's how fucking old I am.)  

. 

Me.

Now, a woman in my mid thirties I'd say that aside from Fashion, Graffiti is probably my favorite form of art.

I've recently started to notice paste ups of crazy bunnies with broken hearts and x'd out eyes popping up around various Manhattan neighborhoods. I've tried on several occasions to steal one off a wall using tools like razor blades and spatulas but, to no avail. (Damn Wheat Paste.) 

Turns out that the artist behind these incredibly DOPE pieces is Adam Dare, a NYC native who coincidentally, grew up only a few blocks away from where I did & has been "dressing up" walls around the five boroughs since the late 80's. Born in Flatbush Brooklyn Adam was influenced by the Halcyon days of the late 70s and 80s, a time of sizemic movement in music, art and style. Blending the aesthetics of Graffiti, Hip Hop, infused with punk rock and heavy metal -undercut by all the subcultures that now define Pop Culture. ~ "The times are finally catching up to the movement."

Dare possesses a Beastie Boy steez with a kind-humble-patient demeanor but, make no mistake his eyes and his tats reveal that he's a take NO SHIT kinda guy. (He is after all from Brooklyn.) 

CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO:ADAM DARE SIZZLE RECUT

Adam's work is highly sought after throughout the underground world of  street art connoisseurs & is revered by Hip Hop and Punk Rock music industry heavy hitters.

                   

He continues to remain true to his passion and is (in my opinion) one of  New York's most talented street artists period.  His pieces can be described as poetic metaphors, a glimpse into the soul of a man that has experienced his share of heartache and darkness but, just like a Master of Alchemy, he transforms that pain into the fuel he needs to burn for his inspiring journey...

ADAM DARE in the LAB

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xx,

Sam Jones